Bahamas Sailing Adventure, June 2-9, 2018
Trip Overview On this amazing adventure, we will sail and dive our way through the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, which are said to be some of the clearest water on the planet with a visibility of over 200 feet. Imagine yourself exploring a world class marine park or sailing with dolphins jumping in your wake. Participants will spend the majority of the trip on state-of-the-art sail boats, where they will be encouraged to sail past their comfort zones, while learning to respect the ocean as well as their fellow crew. This trip will teach lessons of respect, communication, judgment, decision making, and teamwork. So raise the sails, prep the dive gear and get set for the trip of a lifetime, as we sail away. Learn basic seamanship, marine biology, outdoor living skills, effective leadership, and decision making as you sail, dive, and fish your way through one of the most beautiful areas of the Caribbean.
Bahamas Information Area Information Sailing through the Bahamas and looking down, you'll see every shade of blue possible where the crystal-clear tropical Atlantic pours over the deep cuts between the cays and the constantly shifting sandbars that look like meditative sand paintings. It s no wonder this has been named one of the top 10 things you absolutely must visit. Leaving out of Nassau, Bahamas we will undergo a crossing of NE Providence Channel, where you will have a rare view of the stars, absent of any light pollution. You will never forget this amazing experience! After stopping in Chub Cay, we will sail on to our destination in the Berry Islands. In the Berry Islands, you will find a multitude of magical harbors and swim-ashore beaches. These largely uninhabited islands offer spectacular diving and snorkeling and are known for championship sports fishing. On this trip students may: swim with a dolphin, see a real sperm whale skeleton, catch their own dinner, learn how to sail, spear a fish or lobster, snorkel on some of the world s prettiest reefs, learn about life on the ocean, and much more!
Curriculum Our diverse instructor team is comprised of educators who have decades of experience leading courses for over 12 organizations in 10 different countries in all types of climate and terrain. This trip will immerse students in the world around them. Our philosophy of learning by doing will take students beyond fun and friendship to hands-on learning, teamwork, discovery, and personal growth. Although the focus of this course is education, we will still have time to enjoy our Caribbean surroundings. During this trip, our students will learn about: Fundamental Sailing Skills Ocean Travel Expeditioning Skills Leadership Decision Making Marine Biology Snorkeling and Diving Deep Sea Fishing Spearfishing and more!
The Boats On this summer adventure, we will explore above and below the waters of the Caribbean from 40 foot, live-aboard sailing yachts, fishing, and dive boats. For this particular trip, we are acquiring our boats from a yacht charter company with years of experience in boating and an in-depth knowledge of the Bahamas. Each boat is highly maintained, with extensive care given when the season starts. We strive to ensure that any boat we utilize adheres to the highest quality standards concerning security and comfort of passengers. Not only are these yachts our home for a portion of the trip, they serve as our primary means of transportation between the islands. Students will learn by doing as they get first hand experiences in navigation, sailing and maintenance on their yacht
Continued These pictures are from boats that we will be chartering on this trip. Our skippers are thoroughly vetted and approved by both our instructor team and the charter company. Our professional captains both grew up in Florida and have over 50 years of combined experience aboard various vessels and ships in the Bahamas. They possess excellent mechanical and electrical skills and have abundant hands on sailing experience. Their experience in the technical aspects of boats means that they are well equipped to deal with any issues that we may encounter on our journey. In addition, both captains have experience leading educational trips through Boy scouts, Indian Guides, and school groups like Trinity Valley in 2012. 2014, and 2016.
Meet your Instructors Chris McEachron Chris McEachron has spent the past 15 years as an outdoor educator. In that capacity, he has worked with multiple adventure-oriented organizations. These include the Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of America, Murray State University Department of Recreation, Earth Treks Climbing Camp, SportRock Climbing Center, the National Outdoor Leadership School, and Life Adventure Center of the Bluegrass, Trinity Valley School, as well as working as an independent guide for several years. Since that time, Chris has spent hundreds of days teaching outdoor living skills and personal development throughout the Rocky Mountains, the Tetons, the Yukon, Alaska, British Columbia, New Zealand, Patagonia, and Baja Mexico; not to mention many more hundreds of days/nights spent in the Appalachians and surrounding areas. Chris has lead groups above 14,000 feet elevation and below sea level, in deserts, rain forests, tundra, and in mountains; over cold/warm/still/moving water, and everywhere in between. He has maintained incident-free and fun courses in wild black bear country and grizzly bear country. He has also spent several nights with a group on Montague Island in Prince William Sound an island upon which Alaska Fish and Game Department leave habituated grizzlies found throughout the state. The risks of being in these locations were managed in part by the vast amount of knowledge and experience contained within the Instructor Team. Chris is completely competent in a variety of scenarios, but harbors a special passion for ocean based activities. Through more than a decade of experience, he has come to greatly respect the power of the ocean, as well as its beauty. Chris is extremely competent with understanding and teaching ocean-based weather patterns, tides, marine biology, dynamic risk management, as well as a multitude of other seafaring topics. He is very excited to be part of Trinity s expedition to the Bahamas. Chris is a certified Wilderness First Responder and a former Wilderness EMT. He spent a year working on an ambulance in Louisvillle, KY. Between that and his backcountry trips, Chris has extensive first hand care experience in many settings. Chris previously served as the Assistant Director of Experiential Education at Trinity Valley School, Chris is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Experiential Education at Minnesota State University. When not in the field, Chris lives in Mankato, Minnesota with his dog, Sierra.
Meet your Instructors Byron Marlowe Byron s outdoor experience ranges from leading 40 boy scouts on a 10 day 750 mile sailing trip to leading a team of men in Iraq for a year. He is currently a program director for the Wilderness Living Program of Life Adventure Center of the Bluegrass an experiential and adventure education non-profit based in Versailles, Kentucky. Byron grew up in Nicholasville in a family of five children. During his childhood years, he got to participate in a number of exciting outdoor activities with his family. Some of his fondest memories of his childhood were the summer trips that he took with his family to the Bahamas on his grandparents boat. On these trips, he learned to visually pick through reefs before learning to drive a car. Byron has been boating for over 15 years and has been actively exploring the Bahamas since the age of 9. After graduating high school, Byron spent the summer working for Young Life to lead kids on a number of recreational trips. That fall, he began college at the University of Kentucky, but soon felt the calling of something bigger. Three months later, Byron joined the Army, with September 11 th still fresh on his mind. During his six years in the military, he spent time in the reserves, as well as on active duty, where he served as a team leader of a special operations team in Iraq, and also served as an outdoor skills trainer for military and DOD personnel. Byron has led military and civilian courses in: Canada, Mexico, Iraq, the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean, the Bahamas, Haiti, and across much of the US. In addition to instructing military personnel and students in all environments, Byron has specialized in Desert, Ocean, and Mountain survival skills. Byron s considerable wilderness living and survival related experience and qualifications include: Military medical training, Field sanitation and health certification, extensive orienteering, land navigation, and oceanic navigation, ability to directly control search and rescues in all conditions, conducting sea and land survival training, and much more. With a wealth of training, experience, and practical skills, Byron brings a wealth of knowledge and skills to the team. Byron currently holds a B.A. in Business Administration and a B.S. in Biology from the University of Kentucky. When not in the field, Byron serves as the Program Director for Life Adventure Center, an experiential education center in Kentucky.
Meet your Instructors Colin Sutton Colin Sutton has spent the past 10 years as an outdoor educator. In that capacity, he has worked with multiple adventureoriented organizations, and also owns his own adventure guiding business that specializes in multi-day boating and spearfishing expeditions. In addition, he has nautical experience on a variety of boats for both work and pleasure, ranging from crossing the Pacific in a 44 sailboat to working aboard a 90 research vessel in California with Merchant Mariners Credentials. Colin spends most of his time teaching outdoor living skills and personal development through National Outdoor Leadership School in: Rocky Mountains, the Tetons, the Yukon, Alaska, British Columbia, New Zealand, Patagonia, Baja Mexico and on the ocean. In addition, Colin is a certified course leader for sailing, sea kayaking, and backpacking expeditions. Therefore, he is the lead instructor on most courses that he works. In addition, Colin is certified as a PADI Dive Master, Wilderness First Responder, and in CPR. Through more than a decade of experience, he has come to greatly respect the power of the ocean, as well as its beauty. Colin has abundant experience teaching students how to sail, freedive, and spearfish, in addition to teaching about dynamic risk management, leadership, team building, communication, as well as a multitude of other sea-faring topics. He is very excited to be part of Trinity Valley s expedition to the Bahamas. When Colin is not running courses, he runs Indigo Adventures, a spearfishing and adventure guide service in Mexico. Colin s Website
Skipper Genty Skipper Gentry Capt. Skipper Gentry was born and raised on the waters of Morehead City, NC. Born into a fishing family it was destined to be his career, with his father being a tournament fisherman as well as President of The Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament he has been around the big game scene from day one. Starting at the ripe age of two, he could be found riding along with his dad from the Hemingway Billfish Tournament in Bimini to the Hatteras Marlin Club. As Skipper grew up it was only natural to fish and surf and that s what he did. These sports gave him the opportunity to travel the world from both sides of the Pacific, the Atlantic, and through the Caribbean. Skipper owns and operates The Carolina Gentleman Sportfishing Boat which operates out of the Bahamas, South Florida, and where ever fish can be found. His web series, Life on the Line documents his travels and adventures above and below the water. Some additional information on Skipper Gentry: Website Marlin Magazine Video Chub Cay Fishing Trip Video
Final Details First time sailors frequently pack too much. With plenty of sun and sea, life in the islands is very casual and you really need very little. Before the trip, we will send you a detailed packing list that outlines what you need to bring on our trip. We also recommend that you bring a second copy of all important paperwork. Every visitor to the Caribbean must bring a passport. We recommend that you keep a copy of your passport in a separate place, in case your original is lost. For More Information Contact: One of the Blake Amos, Trojan Outdoor Experience Program (817) 321-0100 amosb@trinityvalleyschool.org Investment: $2,995 Deposit: $1,250 Contact: Byron Marlowe your trip leader, for more information. (859) 229-6807; Byron.Marlowe1@gmail.com